Last January I got a job with a great local company. I had just moved back to Knoxville after my divorce and I needed something to get me out of the house (and out of my head) and back into the workforce. I enjoyed the job throughout the school year, and in August I was promoted to an administrative role. I endured a huge learning curve as I attempted to take in everything I needed to know to be successful and I worked very hard to do my best.

One Tuesday in November, I was meeting with my boss and we were in the midst of an intense discussion. I was barraged with new information and attempted to assimilate and make sense of it while at the same time not become discouraged by the task ahead of me. Suddenly three very important words whispered in my head:

I don’t care.

Don’t get me wrong – I cared tremendously about the information I was receiving and the role I had agreed to. These three words, though, were a message from my heart to my brain: “This isn’t your passion.”

There’s chatter among seamstresses across the globe about how to turn our passion for sewing into a sustainable business. Some design and sell patterns, others work for designers, some design and sell their own lines of clothing, some teach. Others, like me, simply daydream. For two years I pictured a sewing studio with gorgeous fabric, chic independent patterns, a rotating class schedule of interesting sewing courses and a space filled with passion for creating. I figured my dream was too irrational to pursue.

Luckily, that meeting with my boss changed my perspective. When those three words crossed my mind, I knew it was time to act. I could certainly stay with the job I’d taken and probably become complacent along the way. I could continue to sew and teach on the side and see what happened, not fully taking a leap of faith. Or I could look my dream square in the eye and run full force toward it.

Completely contrary to my personality, I resigned my position two days after that experience and declared it was now or never. Despite the logical fear of not having a “steady job” waiting for me in January, I felt the relief of finally pursuing what I knew in my heart and soul to be my passion and calling. “Good enough” was no longer part of my personal vocabulary. It was time to start working my butt off for MY dream, not someone else’s.

Admittedly, I have no idea what will happen with Modern Seamstress. And that’s the most exciting part. Obviously my long-term goal is to open that studio in Knoxville or somewhere. But for now, I’m content to simply do as much as possible to get people fired up about sewing their own clothing. I have other things in the pipeline other than courses, and my goals are simply to take action on all of my ideas. Hopefully, my spark will catch fire and this huge leap of faith will pay off. And if not, at least I can look back when I’m older and be proud of the risk I took to pursue my passion.